Chapter 63: Ranks and Revelations
The intercom announcement echoed through the airship, carrying a simple yet firm directive:
"All first-year students were to gather in the main hall once more."
Despite the late hour, the hall was already filled with students by the time Velren arrived. Unlike their previous assembly before the exam, there was no neat organization or rigid formation this time. The exhaustion of the past ordeal had settled into the student body, leaving them scattered across the hall. Some stood in small groups, murmuring in hushed yet eager voices about the exam’s conclusion, speculating over their final rankings or debating over certain encounters in the field. Others, visibly drained from both the physical and mental toll, simply lingered in quiet corners, waiting for the process to be over so they could return to their quarters and rest.
Velren found himself among the latter. His exhaustion was finally catching up to him, dragging down his limbs with a sluggish weight. He leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, allowing himself a moment to simply exist in the lull of the murmuring hall. Whatever was about to happen, he doubted it would change much for him.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, followed by a familiar voice.
"Hey, Velren."
Turning his head slightly, Velren found Kael making his way toward him. The ever-composed assistant looked only mildly worn out from the past events, though there was a certain tiredness in his eyes. Velren greeted him with a nod.
Kael stopped a short distance away, glancing briefly at the rest of the hall before settling his gaze back on Velren.
"So, how do you think you do?"
Velren let out a slow breath, pushing away the creeping haze of fatigue.
"I don’t know. At the very least, I wasn’t eliminated until the very end. So I guess that has to mean something."